Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) India’s managing director Kevin Flynn has just confirmed that a brand new, sub-4 meter Jeep compact SUV is in the making for the Indian car market. It’ll be the least-priced Jeep that the brand has ever produced, and will rival vehicles, such as the Maruti Brezza, Ford EcoSport and the Tata Nexon in the highly competitive sub-4 meter SUV segment. The new ‘baby’ Jeep so to speak, will be launched in 2020, and will be much smaller than the Renegade, which hints that it’ll be an all-new model.

Meanwhile, here’s what Mr. Flynn said about the new Jeep SUV,

“That (Jeep Compass Trailhawk) will be followed by the sub-4 metre SUV, which will be around the size of the Ford EcoSport and Maruti Brezza, in 2020.”

The new, sub-4 meter Jeep compact SUV is likely to be petrol-only considering the fact that the brand is not likely to make the 1.3-litre Fiat Multijet turbocharged diesel engine Bharat Stage 6 emission norms compliant. This means that Jeep will have to dig into the various small-capacity turbocharged diesel engines Fiat has in its global portfolio. A turbocharged petrol engine will allow the new Maruti Brezza challenger to be as torquey as a diesel, with decent fuel efficiency and more importantly emissions compliance. Both manual and automatic gearbox options are likely to be offered right from the outset.

The Fiat Small Wide platform is expected to underpin the baby Jeep, which is also likely to be ready to accept hybrid and full-electric powertrains. While most variants will be front-wheel driven, the monocoque Jeep compact SUV is also expected to be offered with an all-wheel drive option on the top-end variants. As for pricing, expect the new Jeep to be priced between Rs. 7-8 lakhs. However, the SUV may be priced at a slight premium over the Maruti Brezza. India could become a production hub for the new sub-4 meter Jeep compact SUV, with exports likely to multiple countries around the world.

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